'Terrorist haven' Pakistan heading towards isolationism: Editorial

Islamabad, Oct 2(ANI): The writing on the wall could not be clearer that Pakistan, whose policy of exporting terrorism has made it a terrorist haven, is heading towards isolationism, an editorial in a Pakistani newspaper has said.

"While there are mixed signals emanating from the Obama administration, with the change of command in the US military, things in our neighbourhood are not looking good either," the Daily Times editorial said.

On the one hand, Afghan President Karzai has rejected negotiations with the Taliban and asserted that Pakistan is the key to peace talks, while on the other hand, the Afghan intelligence service has blamed the Quetta Shura for assassinating Burhanuddin Rabbani, who had been tasked with trying to negotiate a political end to the war in Afghanistan.

"The most significant statement, though, came from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who said it was possible that the US might go to the United Nations against Pakistan, where the Americans would raise the issue of the Quetta Shura," the editorial noted.

"This would create trouble for Pakistan, especially if the US declares the Haqqani network a terrorist organisation and links between the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Haqqanis are established," it added.

The editorial observed that when a hardliner like Maulana Fazl starts painting a gloomy picture, it means something is definitely wrong.

"Maulana sahib would not say anything as alarmist as this without a reason. The policy of exporting terrorism has made Pakistan a terrorist haven," it stated.

The editorial pointed out that things would get serious if Pakistan were taken to the UN, and that sanctions could be imposed on the country.

"The pressure on Pakistan is building and the writing on the wall could not be clearer. Pakistan is heading towards isolationism. Even if we admit our mistakes, like the US did, it is important to correct those mistakes," it warned.

The editorial said that Pakistan needs to adopt a "two-pronged policy: flush the foreign elements out of the tribal areas and talk to the local tribes to eliminate local terrorists from our soil. This would help bring peace back in the region and change our image of a breeding nursery for terrorists." (ANI)